Date

28.04. – 30.04.2020

Location

Delmenhorst, Germany

Description

The Southern Ocean in the Weddell Sea and off Dronning Maud Land: unique oceanographic conditions shape circumpolar and global processes

A multidisciplinary workshop of the Weddell Sea - Dronning Maud Land (WS-DML) regional working group of the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS)

Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg (HWK), Delmenhorst, Germany, 28 – 30 April 2020

Organizers: J. Gutt, M. Janout, M. Hoppema (AWI), S. Moreau and L. de Steur (NPI)

Background: The Weddell Sea including the ocean off Dronning Maud Land is regionally representative for the high-latitude Southern Ocean due to its pronounced seasonality, circum-polar currents, deep-water formation and multi-year sea-ice cover. In addition, the Weddell Gyre connects water masses at the northern margin of the Southern Ocean (SO) in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) with those shaped by the large ice shelves and sea-ice formation in the southern Weddell Sea. This hydrodynamic regime affects a range of physical, geochemical and biological processes. A smaller proportion of the western Weddell Sea is already experiencing climate-change and related consequences, including the acceleration of mass loss from ice shelves, enhanced ocean warming and freshening, rising air temperatures, and changes in wind patterns. In the eastern part, however, the environment is still relatively stable but it is predicted to experience significant warming, sea-ice melt and ice-shelf loss until the end of the century. The recent re-emergence of the Weddell Polynya in this region, for not entirely understood reasons and with potentially significant impact on regional water masses underscores the importance of observing and understanding this region.

The aims of the workshop are to:

1. Provide an overview and update of scientific findings, which underline the WS-DML as an important area for multi-disciplinary and other studies (approx. 30 presentations and
   posters). It is also planned to publish a special volume on such results (see below).
2. Inform the SOOS WS-DML community about the progress of activities in the area of interest.
3. Develop ideas, actions and products for the future including multi-national initiatives in short presentations and in a plenary discussion following our "additional plans and requirements" assembled during our kick-off workshop in Tromsø, in January 2019.

We would like to bring together scientists, who recognize the role of research in the Weddell Sea / Dronning Maud Land in the circumpolar system due to its physical/biological uniqueness >and function. Our focii are important single-disciplinary results embedded in a larger context and multidisciplinary studies. Experts are welcome to participate and contribute to the developments of this SOOS regional working group. We encourage especially Early Career Scientists and experts from countries with small and emerging Antarctic research programs to attend the workshop. If we have to select participants up to the capacity limit of 50 the variety of countries/ institutes/disciplines and the gender-balance play a role; otherwise we apply the first-come-first-served principle. Unfortunately, SOOS can generally not provide individual travel funds. Please send your pre-registration and abstract (≤1000 characters) until 30 October to julian.gutt[at]awi.de and indicate whether you plan to publish your results in a special volume preferably in one of the journals Elementa or Copernicus – Ocean Science/Biogeosciences. Manuscripts are to be prepared until the meeting to be officially submitted soon after the workshop. The official registration with more information (hotel, conference fee (?), local transportation, venue) will be managed after 30 October by HWK.

Early Career Scientists (up to 5 years post-Ph.D., for definition see here) can apply for travel funds until 30 October 2019. Please provide (1) name and affiliation, (2) 2-3 sentences of motivation (why to participate), (3) title of the oral presentation, (4) preliminary title of the manuscript as a contribution to the special volume, (5) required funds (flight), contact: julian.gutt[at]awi.de.

First announcement including preliminary schedule is available here.

For further information, please visit http://www.soos.aq/calendar?view=event&cid=109